Pressure Myanmar to take back Rohingyas: Prime Minister Hasina to OIC

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has reiterated her call to all Muslim countries to maintain pressure on Myanmar to take back Rohingya Muslims safely from Bangladesh and provide support.

The prime minister repeated the call at the inaugural programme of the 45th Conference of Foreign Ministers, arranged by Organisation of Islamic Cooperation or OIC.

Hasina has urged OIC to stand beside Rohingya people and to ensure their rights and security immediately.

“The OIC must keep up pressure on Myanmar to take back the Rohingya Muslims according to the repatriation agreement with Bangladesh.” 

About 700,000 Muslim Rohingya refugees have fled to Bangladesh since the military launched a crackdown in Myanmar's western Rakhine state in response to insurgent attacks on security forces in August.

About 400,000 Rohingya people were staying in Bangladesh before the army crackdown began.

Under pressure from the UN and other international organisations, Myanmar agreed to sign an agreement with Bangladesh on last December to repatriate hundreds of thousands Rohingyas. Myanmar has yet to implement the agreement.

The persecuted refugees have described the suffering and dangers they faced in Myanmar during the crackdown, which the UN defines as ‘ethnic cleansing’. Myanmar has continued to deny the charge.

Invoking the name of Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (SM) Hasina told the OIC that, he had instructed the Muslims to stand for oppressed. For this reason the OIC cannot remain silent over the human disaster, he said.

“We have opened our hearts and borders for these persecuted people. We have granted asylum to 1,100,000 Rohingya Muslims. Personally I feel deep sympathy for their miserable circumstances,” the prime minister said. 

Sheikh Hasina compared their suffering with her personal experience of living abroad after the killing of her father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and many family members in 1975.     

At least 5,000 delegations, including 40 Foreign Ministers and Assistant Ministers, are joining the two-day-long OIC Conference in Dhaka.

Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland attended the inaugural programme with Sheikh Hasina as a special guest.

The programme is being held at an important time of history, Hasina said.

She also urged the consideration of changes in the hearts and minds of Muslims following the recent  world-wide conflicts and extremism.

Stating Bangabandhu’s dictum of “friendship to all, enmity towards none” she said, “We think all of the disagreements between Muslims can be resolved through open-mind discussion.”

“Bloodshed only leads to worse situations.”

“The Islamic world must have a vision towards using our resources properly and resolving all of our conflicts and disagreements ourselves.”